The Dead Of The Night
by TG-91
Summary: Duran is deadly wounded, and it's unsure if he will survive. The only one who can save him is Carlie, but she is missing. Because of something that happened on a night at the balcony with Kevin. And Hawk continues to have those horrible nightmares....
1. Chapter 1: Betrayal

Yahoo, three SD3 fics in one day! This is the serious fic I was talking about... I felt like posting it a month earlier...  
  
..............  
  
The moon was spreading its white light over Wendel.  
  
It was raining, and small, silvery drops were falling from the dark sky.  
  
The town was quiet, and only the silent humming from the insects could be heard.  
  
A red-haired paladin wearing silver-armor and helmet walked down the street.  
  
On his back, he had a large shield and a long sword, and his long hair were sharp in contrast to the golden details on his silver armor.  
  
It was something special with his eyes. They sparkled as diamonds, and they looked so....  
  
Alive...  
  
The paladin stopped at the pub to grab some tea, and the few people that sat by the tables all turned their eyes towards the tall, muscular paladin, amazed by his shining armor.  
  
The bartender put a cup of tea in the paladins gloved hand. The paladin sat down on a chair at the bar.  
  
"What are you doing here, Duran?" the bartender asked.  
  
Duran took a zip of his tea, and he let the heat of the drink fill his body.  
  
The sweet aroma satisfied him, and he let out a sigh and took another zip.  
  
"I'm here to see Carlie and Kevin" he said and removed his helmet, letting his long, red hair fall down over his eyes. "I'm going to study here for a while, and I thought she could help me. I still can't control my holy power that well, and I'm here to learn to. When I heard that Kevin was here studying, I thought I could give it a try."  
  
The bartender nodded.  
  
"Yeah, many people have been scared of Kevin, but they are getting used to him now. I guess they can't forgive the beastmen for what they did to Astoria and Jad."  
  
Duran laughed and drank up his tea.  
  
"Kevin is absolutely harmless as long as you are his friend..."  
  
"Do you want some more?" the bartender asked.  
  
"No. I must get going." Duran replied and grabbed his helmet.  
  
Halfway through the door, he stopped and tossed a golden coin to the bartender.  
  
"Thats about fifty luc. Consider it as a payment for my future tea-cups..."  
  
Duran walked out on the street.  
  
"Why didn't I bring a rain-coat?" he asked himself as he started to run slowly.  
  
There was no priests guarding the entrance, and gently he pushed the giant, wooden doors open with his gloved hands.  
  
He got a bad feeling as soon as he stepped in. It didn't feel right.  
  
"Carlie? Kevin?" he yelled, but the only reply he got was his own echoe.  
  
Suddenly, he stepped on something, making him jump backwards.  
  
A priest.  
  
"Shit!" he said and kneeled down beside the body. The priest was dead, stabbed by a dagger several times.  
  
Duran drew his sword and his shield.  
  
"Carlie! Answer me!" he shouted. But no one answered.  
  
He started to run through the corridors. There were dead priests everywhere, but he didn't stop to check them.  
  
Suddenly, the paladin sensed evil. His grip around the sword hardened.  
  
He pushed the doors open to the main hall.  
  
What he saw made him sick.  
  
The Priest Of Light was chained to the wall. It was blood all over, and he had a big, open wound on his stomach, like someone had cut it open.  
  
Suddenly, Duran spotted Kevin, lying on the ground in his human form with blood all over his torn clothes.  
  
Even though Durans senses warned him for danger, he kneeled down in front of the beastman, throwing his sword and shield away.  
  
"Kevin!" he shouted, desperately trying to find any signs of life.  
  
But the God Hand didn't move.  
  
He had deep wounds all over his body, like someone had stabbed him with a knife several times.  
  
"Kevin! Wake up!"  
  
Duran shook Kevins body to wake him up, but the young beastman remained lifeless.  
  
He didn't notice the man that stepped out from the shadows.  
  
"He tried to defend them, that stupid beastman. He was a fool, thinking that he could defeat me." a familiar voice said from behind, and Duran grabbed his sword.  
  
"You!" Duran said. His inner self was screaming. Not him.... "No... Why? Why? You killed Kevin, the Priest Of Light..."  
  
Hawk laughed and gave Duran a sloping smile as he drew his daggers.  
  
"And you are my next victim..."  
  
.......................................  
  
Lord Hawk of Navarre woke up of his own scream. He took a deep breath, and made sure that he hadn't awaken Jessica.  
  
He lay down again, but he couldn't sleep.  
  
He had such a strange dream...  
  
...............  
  
Aaaahhh a cliffhanger! And I know, this first chapter is not so good, but it's going to be better....  
  
Where is Carlie and Heath?  
  
And how can Hawk be on two places the same time?  
  
Stay tuned for episode number two....  
  
And remember I'm only 14 and swedish.... So the language isn't the best.... 


	2. Chapter 2: The Face Of An Enemy

.............  
  
Queen Lise of Rolante sat down on her throne and let out a deep sigh as she removed her helmet.  
  
The beatiful Star Lancer was dressed in blue armor, and her golden hair fell perfectly over her sparkling eyes.  
  
She was tired of being a queen. She never had the time to take care of herself.  
  
Always looking after others, and despite her magnicifient beauty on the outside, she felt dull, tired and powerless on the inside.  
  
She was indeed one the most powerful women in the world, and a great responsibility rested on her shoulders.  
  
The large double doors were pushed open by the two guards, and Captain Eliza of the Amazon Army entered the throne room, kneeling down in front of her ruler.  
  
"Stand up , Eliza..." Lise said and smiled. "You know how I hate those formal gestures..."  
  
Eliza got up on her feets.  
  
"Your majesty..."  
  
"Lise...." Lise interrupted.  
  
"Lise... We recieved a message from Altena, and princess Angela will arrive with his escort at the end of the week, to discuss our future relation with them."  
  
"Angela!" Lise exclaimed, feeling some of her inner pain ease up a bit. Angela was one of her few, true friends, despite her sometimes annoying attitude. "Eliza, I want you to prepare a welcome party for their honor."  
  
"Of course, your ma....Lise. I'll take care of everything."  
  
Eliza left the room, and Lise let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Finally, she could talk to one of her friends again. She wondered how the other was doing.  
  
She hadn't heard from any of them since the Mana War, and that was almost a year ago.  
  
Suddenly, she realised how much she loved them. They were her closest friends, and she couldn't believe that she hadn't contacted them before.  
  
Duran... The kind, loyal young paladin with a heart of gold....  
  
Hawk...The romantic and handsome wanderer...  
  
Angela...The annoying princess from Altena... But she was a good person...  
  
Carlie... The little, adorable girl with a strange way of speaking....  
  
Kevin... The kind beastman that always stood up for his friends...  
  
A tear fell down the Star Lancers cheek. She missed them all so much....  
  
But she didn't realize in that moment, that she would meet some of them sooner than she expected...  
  
.........................  
  
"Hawk! You are a Nightblade!" Duran exclaimed when he saw his friend step out in the light. "How did you change class again?"  
  
The Nightblade smiled.  
  
"You don't need to know, since you're about to die anyway!" Hawk threw one of his throwing knifes towards Durans head, but the paladin caught the dagger with his hand and tossed it into the wall.  
  
"You are strong, my friend." Hawk said. "This should be an interesting battle...hehe..."  
  
"You're not my friend anymore, Hawk."  
  
With those words, the fight begun, and it truly was two skilled warriors that fought against each other in the Temple Of Light that night.  
  
Hawk performed a somersault and finished the move by throwing one of his fighting-daggers towards Duran, who just barely avoided the attack.  
  
Hawk ducked for a long swing by Duran, and then he took a giant leap over the tall paladin, landing behind him.  
  
Duran flinged himself forward to avoid the devastating stab from the dagger, and he rolled to his feets to face Hawks next attack.  
  
Hawk smiled and grabbed the one of his daggers that lay on the floor as he assumed fighting stance.  
  
"Your move, paladin" he said, smiling.  
  
"You better stop smiling, Hawk. I don't want to tell Jessica that you died with a smile on your lips..."  
  
With a roar, Duran jumped up in the air, holding his sword over his head to cut Hawks head off.  
  
But the former Wanderer was quick as lightning, and he jumped backwards to avoid Durans attack, and at the same time, he began chanting one of the Nightblade's most powerful spells.  
  
Fire breath.  
  
Like a fierce dragon, Hawk released flames from his mouth, and Duran was to slow to avoid the attack.  
  
It felt like being hit by a stream of lava.  
  
The burning pain was so intense, that the paladin fell to his knees, dropping his sword.  
  
His whole armor was burning, but the pain was so great that he couldn't move.  
  
"Looks like you got a little too hot, Duran" Hawk said and smiled. "Well, I guess I have to kill you...Don't want to make you suffer..."  
  
Hawk began to chanting another spell, and Duran tried desperately to get on his feets.  
  
His whole body was burning like a torch, and a normal person had already been dead.  
  
With his last, remaining powers, Duran got up on his feets, grabbing his sword.  
  
Slowly he started to walk towards Hawk, who just smiled.  
  
"Powers of heaven....bring light upon...my weapon.... Saint Saber!" Duran shouted with his last strength.  
  
Suddenly, the roof was crack open, and a beam of light hit Durans sword making it glow with a white shining aura.  
  
"You...forgot...one...thing, H-Hawk..." Duran said grimly, still refusing to fall to the ground, even though his whole body was burning. "I am a paladin....And the holy powers serve me... Die! "  
  
Duran took a giant leap against Hawk, who was too slow to avoid the attack, and his right arm was cut off with one single swipe.  
  
Hawk screamed in pain as his arm fell to the ground, and Duran fell backwards, landing on the stone floor, still burning.  
  
Hawk bit his lips, trying not to give in for the enourmos pain.  
  
"I will punish you for this, Duran... But not tonight... First I must find Carlie..."  
  
The Nightblade suddenly disappeared, leaving the burning paladin alone on the floor.  
  
Raindrops fell down through the large cracks in the ceiling, hitting Durans face as they slowly began to put out the fire.  
  
Duran screamed in pain.  
  
Suddenly, the whole world was replaced by darkness, and the dying paladin lost his senses.  
  
And then he remembered no more.  
  
................  
  
How do you like it? I know there is a lot that not yet have been answered, but I'm going on vacation, so I wanted to post this before I go...  
  
Are both Kevin and Duran dead?  
  
And what about Hawk?  
  
And where has Carlie and Heath gone?  
  
The next chapter will be longer, I promise, and more of the plot will be revealed.... 


	3. Chapter 3: The Secret Of The Stars

..............................  
  
"Hawk... Are you sure you're allright?" Jessica said, brushing her beautiful hair with a pink comb. "You seem so quiet...."  
  
"It's nothing." Hawk said and grabbed his daggers.  
  
"Can't you leave those for a while?"  
  
Hawk shook his head.  
  
"Then who's going to protect ya from the monsters?"  
  
"Hawk, there is no monsters in the desert anymore..."  
  
"I know that... I just wanted to give you a good reason..."  
  
Jessica smiled and kissed him.  
  
"You sure haven't lost your sense of humor..."  
  
.....................  
  
That nightmare.  
  
He couldn't stop thinking of it.  
  
It was so...real.  
  
Something bad was going to happen. He knew it.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
And he was going to find out.  
  
Sooner or later....  
  
.........................  
  
"Queen Lise!" Alma said, carefully waking up the young queen.  
  
Lise sat up in her bed.  
  
Even after sleep, her golden hair remained beautiful.  
  
"We have recieved a message from Wendel. They want you to come there immidiately."  
  
"Did it say what it was all about?" Lise asked as she got up from her bed. "Angela is coming tomorrow...."  
  
"It was very urgent, so I suggest you take Flammie and go there immidiately. You will be back tonight if you go now."  
  
Lise nodded and put on her armor. She grabbed her long, shining spear.  
  
She had a bad feeling about this...  
  
.........................  
  
"Queen Lise!" Heath shouted as soon as Lise got off Flammies back. "Come, quickly!"  
  
Lise followed Heath up the stairs and in to the large temple.  
  
There were priests everywhere, talking with upset voices.  
  
Lise was to worried to even listen. Like a zombie she followed Heath steps through the corridors.  
  
He opened a wooden door, and they stepped into a large room with several beds.  
  
"My godess..." the young queen from Rolante gasped. "Wha..."  
  
She interrupted herself as she spotted a young beastman in one of the beds.  
  
Her knees turned to water, and she almost fell backwards.  
  
"K-Kevin!"  
  
The God Hand from Beast Kingdom had bandages on his muscular chest and stomach, and his breaths were irregular and random.  
  
He breathed heavily, like he had a something in his throat that kept him from breathing fully.  
  
"W-When did this happen?" Lise asked, leaning on her spear. The tears were close.  
  
"Yesterday." Heath said. "When the priests woke up in the morning, all the priests that were on duty that night was dead, except for Kevin. We found Priest Of Light chained to the wall."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"He was dead, brutally killed. Kevin tried to defend him, and if Kevin can't fight someone, then no one can. Except for Duran..."  
  
Heath took a deep breath and nodded towards the bed in the corner.  
  
Lise sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands.  
  
"No...No.... This can't be happening..."  
  
The paladin from Forcena was laying on the bed, but Lise could hardly recognize him.  
  
He had bandages all over his body, and the only thing that revealed that it was Duran, was the long, red hair.  
  
Lise felt sick, and she felt like she was going to throw up.  
  
"Heath... He will be allright, won't he?" She asked nervously. "And Kevin?"  
  
Heath let out a deep sigh. The young priest knew that he couldn't lie to Lise.  
  
"Kevin will be allright. He has been stabbed several times, but since he recieved the wounds in his werewolf-form, he will recover quickly. He will be on his feets within the next week."  
  
"But Duran...What about Duran?!"  
  
Heath slowly shook his head.  
  
"I don't know, Lise... He is in a sleep-like condition... He isn't dead, but he isn't alive either... Our best priests are using their most powerful healing magic on him, but his wounds are deadly... I'm not sure that we can save him now that Priest Of Light is dead... And since Carlie is missing..."  
  
"Carlie? Can she save him?" Lise asked, still crying like a little baby.  
  
Heath hugged the young queen, trying to comfort her.  
  
"Maybe... But she disappeared two days ago without telling anyone were she was going... Not even me...."  
  
"But who did this? Who?!"  
  
"I don't know Lise. There are many questions that needs answers right now. All we can do is pray to the Godess. Maybe she will help us..."  
  
.............  
  
The little girl was crying.  
  
Small, silvery teardrops fell down her cheeks and her usually blue and beautiful eyes were red and swollen.  
  
She wore blue clothes, and she had a pointy hat on her head, partly covering her long, beautiful hair.  
  
She was all alone.  
  
The deafening sound from the waterfall was all that could be heard.  
  
No silent humming from insects.  
  
No wolf cries.  
  
She buried her face in her hands.  
  
If she hadn't.... Hadn't seen that vision....  
  
She knew that her grandfather would be killed.  
  
For a week, she had dreamt the same dream over and over.  
  
A man dressed in black, brutally killing her grandfather with two daggers.  
  
She knew who he was, and that scared her.  
  
But what scared her even more, was that Kevin was wounded.  
  
Why didn't she tell him about her vision that night two days ago?  
  
When they ran into each other on the empty balcony.  
  
Something happened there, and she still couldn't stop thinking of it.  
  
That's why she ran away.  
  
She ran away from him.  
  
She needed to think it all over. And she needed time to find herself again.  
  
The visions came as soon as she closed her eyes.  
  
She knew that her grandfather was dead.  
  
And she knew who killed him.  
  
But she couldn't go back to Wendel. And the reason was simple.  
  
Her heart was broken. She couldn't return.  
  
Not after that night.  
  
She closed her eyes, and the whole scene was repeated in her mind.  
  
.........  
  
Thump!  
  
Carlie ran into something hard, and she bounced back.  
  
She quickly got on her feets, and then she saw Kevin, staring on the star- filled sky with empty eyes.  
  
"What are you doing here Kevin?" she asked.  
  
The young beastman looked down on the little half-elf and smiled.  
  
She had grown a lot the last year.  
  
"The stars were never this beautiful in Beast Kingdom" he said with a sigh.  
  
Carlie didn't say anything. She just nodded.  
  
Inside, she cursed herself for being such a wimp.  
  
She was in love with the beastman, but she wasn't brave enough to tell him.  
  
Kevins decision to study in Wendel made Carlie happier than ever, and now she finally got the chance to tell him.  
  
But she couldn't.  
  
"I miss them" Kevin said. "I miss them all."  
  
"Carlie does too..." Carlie replied. "Especially Duran... Funny funny Duran..."  
  
"I miss Angela..." Kevin said and Carlie held her breath. "She was always so nice to me, even though she had an annoying attitude sometimes... She made me feel like I was really a part of the group..."  
  
Kevin took a deep breath and his eyes were lost somewhere beyond the horizon.  
  
"I must tell you something... No one knows except for Angela and I... We kept it a secret..."  
  
Carlie bit her lips, and her eyes was filled with tears.  
  
She turned away her head.  
  
Kevin in love with Angela? And she never noticed?  
  
"Carlie....must go to bed now..." she said, and her voice was broken.  
  
She ran away before the young beastman could see that she was crying...  
  
...........................  
  
He was falling.  
  
Without safe ground, down into a bottomless hole.  
  
Only darkness existed in front of his eyes.  
  
Suddenly, a large mouth with thousands of sharp teeths opened in front of him, ready to swallow him.  
  
Two glowing, red eyes was shining in the dark.  
  
Evil.  
  
They showed nothing but pure evil.  
  
He fell.  
  
And he died.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"  
  
Lord Hawk of Navarre woke up of his own scream, and he sat up in the bed.  
  
Suddenly, he felt something cold touching his skin, and he started to shiver when he saw what it was.  
  
He had a dagger against his throat... 


End file.
